Secrets
by boshrocks
Summary: Hermione has kept a secret for five years, how much longer can she keep it? Secrets can Destroy or Rebuild, as Hermione discovers.
1. The Secret

Hermione turned to her boyfriend in the quiet lull of the evening air. "Do you think they'll ever find out about us?"

"God I hope not."

"Why?"

"You know what Harry and Ron are like; they'll flip if they find out."

"But, sweetie, it's been five years."

"I know, but they're your best friends, and both are incredibly protective of you. Ron especially."

Hermione turned her head to look up at him. "Why do you think he is?"

"You may be the brightest witch in the year, but you are so completely blind sometimes. It's so completely cute. It's obvious; he's in love with you. At least, he used to be."

Hermione laughed. "That I find hard to believe." She stirred and cuddled closer. "They're seriously getting on my nerves at the moment."

"I have some dirt on them if you want."

"Really? Something they haven't told me? I swear they think I'm one of the guys. It took Ron four years to notice I was a girl."

He laughed and leant down to whisper in her ear. She gasped.

"How did they keep that quiet from me? I can read minds for Merlin's sake! How did you find that out?"

"Skipping classes has it's advantages. I have proof for you if you want it. I saw them in a bathroom. Ugh. And I never want to see that again."

"I can imagine. There must be something in the water here, because they're not the first homo couple."

"What d'you mean?"

"Ginny and Luna. Pansy Parkinson and Padma Patil. Lavender Brown and Parvati Patil. Blaise Zambini and Dean Thomas. To name but a few. I have proof of all of them."

"Blimey."

"Wasn't quite the word I used when I found out. Mine was a lot more colourful."

"And here I didn't think you would be capable of swearing. What with you being such a good little girl and all." He toyed with a lock of her bronze hair gently.

"Ever heard the expression: 'It's always the quiet ones'?"

"You're not that quiet."

"Shouldn't we get back to the castle now? It's getting a bit cold. And we have a job to do."

Her boyfriend made no movement, just pulled her in tighter. "Prefect duties can wait."

"It's awfully convenient isn't it? I mean with us being prefects and having a schedule that means we patrol together, and everything."

He was aware of a rather telling silence from Hermione.

"It wasn't chance was it?" he asked a little coldly.

"Not…entirely, no."

"What did you do?"

"I snuck into McGonagall's office and changed the rota, then planted a false memory in her mind about it."

"Why aren't you in Slytherin?" he said, almost admiringly.

"I'm only like this because of your influence. I said to myself, think like a Malfoy; what would a Malfoy do?" she giggled a little.

"Such an innocent little giggle for such a bad girl." He commented.

Her giggle this time was a tad lower and sexier.

He knew she was just teasing him, he knew her better than anyone; even her best friends.

When Hermione returned to the common room an hour later she looked very messed up, with her hair a tangled mess, her lipstick smeared across on cheek, her buttons in the wrong holes, and her tie the wrong colours. Harry, Ron and Ginny looked at her in surprise.

"What happened to you?" Ginny asked, looking as though she already knew.

"Yeah, I got back from patrols ages ago." Ron said.

"I got into a fight with Malfoy after patrols. We also had to deal with a lot of people out of bed." Hermione turned away to hide her blush.

"You must have really got into that fight. You're a mess." Harry got up from his seat and crossed to her. He looked at her carefully as though to see what was escaping him. Then he grabbed the tie that was hanging loosely from her collar. He yanked it roughly over her head. "What is this?" he demanded.

"It's called a tie, Harry."

"A Slytherin tie. Why do you have a Slytherin tie?"

"Draco must have changed the colours during the fight. It was a duel that got physical."

"Draco? Since when do you call him Draco?" Harry asked suspiciously.

_Think like Draco. Go on the offensive. _"What I call him is none of your business. For once in your life, could you just stay out of my business?"

"We're your best friends; what you do is our business."

"Oh really? Then would you care to fill me in on your love lives?" she glared at the boys furiously.

"What has that got to do with anything?" Harry said, whilst his eyes said plainly 'she knows!'

"How did we get on to love lives?" Ginny put in. Then realisation hit her with a start.

Hermione noticed and read her mind. "You tell them and I tell them about you." she threatened.

"You know about that?"

"I know everything." Hermione almost whispered.

"How much of everything do you know?" Harry asked.

Hermione turned her head slowly to look at him. "I know secrets. I know secrets about the teachers; I know secrets about every student in this school including all of yours."

"When did you get like this? You…you sound like a Slytherin."

"I got tired of being a good little girl. I got tired of being in your shadow. Come on, we've saved the world; I say we cut loose and party."

"This isn't like you at all. Are you drunk? Where's the real Hermione?"

"You've never known the real me." Casually she grabbed the tie back and stalked off to her dorm.


	2. Outburst

Hermione sat alone at breakfast the next morning. Further down the table Harry and Ron kept shooting glares at her. She simply replied with a carefully raised middle finger.

Hermione was aware of a shadow being cast across her plate. Looking up she saw Ginny looking both curious and apologetic.

"What?" Hermione asked quite coldly.

"Can I sit?"

"I certainly hope so."

"Here?"

"If you like." still in that cold tone.

Ginny sat opposite her. "So, how long has it been going on?"

"Five years."

"Five years? How did you keep that quiet?"

"It was easy. I'm always the last person people notice in the trio, including the other trio members. They don't know much about me, but I know everything about them."

"Men can be very self-centred can't they?"

"We're the ones to know aren't we? You with all your brothers, and me with my boys."

"You got that right. Maybe that's why I fell for Luna."

"I can see why, she's an interesting character."

"That's putting it mildly. And I can understand why you fell for him. He's a bad boy."

"And I'm a good little girl." Hermione laughed. "At least I used to be. He's re-educating me. It's a story of opposites."

Ginny paused. "Last night you said something about their love lives. What did you mean?"

"Haven't you ever wondered why Harry hasn't had a girlfriend yet? Or Ron either for that matter."

"I just assumed they were shy."

"Harry is in a relationship…with Ron."

"What?"

"Come on, they shared a dorm for six years, it had to happen."

"What is mum gonna say?"

"He's not the only child of hers to deserve a good yelling at. There's you for a start; can't imagine she'd be too pleased about that. And then there's the twins. George is hiding his sexuality from everyone except his twin, and Fred is secretly dating six girls at the same time; including the girl who is supposed to be George's girlfriend and the wife of his old quidditch captain. Percy has three illegitimate children with Penelope Clearwater and still refuses to marry her. I don't know about the older two but that's enough to be getting along with, don't you think?"

"Definitely. I never knew all of this. How did you find out?"

"I'm telepathic. I can read people's minds. I've been able to since birth."

"And what about this thing with Malfoy?"

"I realised early that he wasn't evil, or mean, it was just Harry's perspective. Yes he's bad, he's a Slytherin. But he has a good heart. We would often meet in the library in first year, and he showed me how different he was. I helped him see that the blood you have doesn't make a difference. He doesn't care that I'm muggle-born. The whole mudblood thing was something we came up with that summer after first year to throw people off the scent. He was brainwashed by his father. During the war he worked for us as a spy."

"I did wonder how we knew about enemy movements before they happened."

"And that's where you're different from Harry. He never questioned where the information came from. I think he just thought it was luck or something."

"Boys never notice anything do they?"

"Draco does. He notices everything. But our dear Harry and Ron notice not one blessed thing. It drives me crazy. Look I'll keep your secret if you keep mine. Deal?" Hermione held out a hand.

Ginny shook it. "Deal."

"Still keeping secrets from me I see." A voice said from behind Ginny.

"Hello Harry. What are you accusing me of this time?" Hermione said, rolling her eyes at Ginny, who suppressed a snort.

"Lying. Friends don't lie to each other."

Something inside Hermione snapped. Slamming her hands on the table and sending food flying she stood up. "Where do you get off accusing me of lying when I know a thing or two about you?"

"You don't know anything." He fired back. Everyone stopped talking and watched the scene.

"I know a lot. How about you learning occlumency after the war was over just to keep something hidden from me?"

"You've been keeping stuff from me and I demand to know what it is."

"Demand? How…dare you?"

"Oh I dare. Tell me, or so help me god…"

"You'll do what? Curse me? You may have quidditch reflexes but I'm quicker with a wand than you are. I also know more spells. You forget; I'm top of the year."

"Just tell me!"

"Oh I'll tell you about me and Draco when you tell me about you and Ron!" a second after she said it she clamped a hand over her mouth as the rest of the hall gasped.


	3. Secret's Out

Hermione flinched and waited for the storm to break. She couldn't believe she'd let everything slip. Draco was going to murder her.

That is, if Harry didn't get there first.

Harry's face was getting redder by the second. Any moment he was going to start yelling. She always hated it when he yelled.

It wasn't the best place for it, being the middle of a full hall at breakfast time. And everyone was watching, it being a rift in the famous or even infamous trio; which didn't happen very often. It did between Ron and Hermione as they frequently got into quarrels; and Harry often said that there was never a time when they weren't bickering, and Hermione had to agree with him. But Harry and Hermione rarely fought.

"You went behind my back and dated Malfoy?" Harry didn't shout. Instead his voice was quiet and deadly, and far worse than if he had shouted.

"You went behind mine."

"He's my enemy."

"No. Voldemort was your enemy. Draco is on your side. No thanks to me I might add. You know, you should be happy for me, to have found someone who loves me more than anyone in the world."

"You're not happy for me, so why should I be for you?"

"Why did you work so hard to hide it from me? I am happy for you, for both of you. If he makes you happy then I don't have a problem with it."

Harry seemed to calm down. "You don't?"

"No. I really don't. I'm a lot more understanding than you give me credit for. You're the one who has the problem here, not me. Listen, I love Draco and I don't care who knows it. We've had to hide our love for five years, because I was your friend. I valued your friendship too much to jeopardise it. This was the only way I could keep both you and Draco."

"But you've fought him for years."

"I'm also a better actress than you give me credit for. And so is he. It was all an act, a cover. I never really punched him. We just made it look real. You have got very close to finding out though."

"Why didn't you just tell me? I probably would have understood. I may not have liked it, but I'd have stuck by you."

"I've already told you why. Now, why didn't you tell me about you and Ron?"

"Because we knew you were in love with Ron."

Hermione burst out laughing. "No. I was never in love with Ron. If I acted like I was then it's because I was - with Draco."

"We also were afraid of what you would think of us."

"Harry, you silly little boy. What I think of you shouldn't matter. If you'd trusted me enough to tell me, then I would have stood by you. You two are like my brothers, and weathered much worse. We can get through anything remember?" she held up her fist showing the Chinese symbols tattooed there. "Wisdom." She held out the fist.

"Bravery." Harry stuck his next to hers. His also had Chinese symbols all the same, but with one different.

"Loyalty." Ron added his fist.

"Trust." Ginny rose and added hers.

"Friendship." Luna put hers in.

"Fellowship." Neville added his grinning.

"Love." Draco rolled back his sleeve and revealed that he too had the symbols and added his hand to the others.

Harry smiled around at the others. "God, we're such idiots aren't we?"

"And long may it be so!" said Hermione laughing.


	4. Draco's Mistake

"Finally we don't have to hide anymore." Draco stretched and looked at Hermione as she lay beside him with her head on his chest.

"I know. I really shouldn't have blurted it out like that should I?" she craned her head and looked up at him.

"It wasn't the cleverest thing to do."

They looked over to where Harry and Ron sat on a sofa with Ron's arm around Harry. It was the evening after the fight in the hall and the four of them were cuddled up in the Gryffindor common room.

"Where's Ginny by the way?" Ron asked.

"I don't know. Maybe she's-"

"I don't care!" they heard her shout from outside the portrait hole. "If Hermione doesn't have to hide it then I don't see why we should!"

"I think we've found her." Draco tried his hardest not to laugh,

"Gin, please! We are a stranger couple than they are." Luna's usually dreamy voice was now much fiercer.

"Harry and Ron also came out, so why can't we?"

"Since when are Luna and Ginny a couple?" Ron asked looking even more puzzled than usual as Ginny and Luna burst into the room from the portrait hole.

"No one would accept us!" Luna shouted.

"I think you'll find that you're wrong there." Hermione said amiably, now sitting up.

"See!?" Ginny shouted back at Luna.

"Girls, calm down." Hermione rose and put herself between them. Ginny had a very explosive temper and Luna sometimes had the same. Now looked like being one of those times.

"She says we can't come out."

"Easy Ginny. Listen, both of you. You shouldn't care if no one accepts you. If your friends do, then that's all you need. I mean, look at us. We're a very weird bunch aren't we?"

"In what way?" Harry put in interestedly.

"Well, take you and Ron. A very odd pairing, but surprisingly obvious. I knew there was another reason you rescued Ron from the lake in fourth year. It just never clicked why." Harry and Ron laughed and admitted it was true. "Ginny and Luna, different personalities; as different as fire and ice. But you're perfect for each other."

"What about us?" Draco put in.

"On the surface we appear different. Different bloodlines and upbringing. The bad boy and the quiet bookworm. Houses at war. But we've turned it into a sort of, Romeo and Juliet situation."

"Please don't say we have to end like they did." Draco looked shocked. Hermione grinned and went back to sit on the arm of the armchair he had now moved to.

"Underneath though, we turned out to be very similar. Both very clever, honest, patient, brave, loyal, and misunderstood. During those quiet hours in the library I found my soulmate."

Draco smiled and pulled her off the arm and onto his lap.

"Aw!" the others simpered.

"Shut up!" Draco snapped. Hermione giggled.

"I think I hear wedding bells." Ginny said.

"Think you'll get married then?" Ron asked.

"Yes." Hermione said.

"No." said Draco at the same time.

Dead silence. The others exchanged looks which clearly said 'Oh bugger.'


	5. Girlfriends

"What did you say?" Hermione's voice was low and quiet, and very dangerous. She had pulled herself off his lap and he hadn't tried to stop her.

"I said what you said." Draco panicked.

"No you didn't. You said no."

"I, just, don't think, marriage is where we're heading." He stuttered.

"Well I do."

"You do?"

"Yes. I meant what I said. You're my soulmate, but if I'm not yours, then this isn't going anywhere." A huge tear rolled down her cheek. "Girls!" she turned and ran towards the girl's staircase. Ginny and Luna exchanged looks and followed.

"Talk to him." Ginny told Harry and Ron as she passed the back of the sofa.

They found Hermione sitting on her bed holding a framed photo of Draco with tears spilling down her cheeks. They rushed to her, as only girlfriends can. Sitting either side of her they put their arms around her comfortingly.

"How could he say that?"

"I don't know sweetie." Ginny leant back and Luna did the same. "Go to Ron's trunk and bring out his chocolate stash. She needs it more than he does." Luna nodded and got up. "Mione, don't worry about it. He's a boy, they're all complete idiots."

Tearfully Hermione laughed. "Yeah, I guess so. But I just assumed we were going to get married. I thought he felt the same."

"Guys are scared of commitment."

"I've been dating him for five years. He's no stranger to commitment."

"Maybe it's because marriage would make it public to the world. It's public knowledge to Hogwarts now, but maybe he doesn't want it to get too far out."

"Are you saying he's ashamed of our relationship?"

"Perhaps. He probably thinks that to the outside world, that they won't accept it. You have to admit, he does have a point. The only way it might get any weirder is if he marries one of my brothers."

Hermione looked at Ginny and then they both burst out laughing.

Ginny wiped away Hermione's tears. "That's better. Don't worry about him. He'll come round…even if I have to make him."

"I don't think you'll have to. As I passed the common room I could swear I saw him wink at me." Luna said coming over with an armful of sweets.

"Why would he do that?"

"Is he upset?"

"Not at all. He's smiling away. Boys are very peculiar aren't they?"

"I don't think that's quite the word I would use, Luna." Hermione said tucking into the chocolate.

Meanwhile.

"So that's the plan then?" Ron asked.

"Yep. She'll never see it coming." Draco smirked.

"Just don't drive her away too far." Harry warned.

"I know. I'll give her a present tomorrow, that'll make her forgive me."

"When are you going to do it?"

"Yule ball. It's all planned."

"I think you better get practicing." Ron laughed.


	6. Complications

As the Christmas holidays drew nearer Hermione started thinking her boyfriend was going insane. He was acting oddly and started ignoring her. He hardly listened to her anymore. And this annoyed her.

But in the snatched nights they had together he was completely attentive and basically her love slave. It was all very confusing.

Ginny and Luna couldn't understand it either. Harry and Ron were spending all their time with him and Hermione hadn't seen any of them for days.

Eventually the holidays arrived and Hermione got a surprise when Ginny told her that the Weasley clan was staying at Hogwarts for the holidays and that Draco had asked them to come.

An hour and a half after Ginny had told her this and her suspicions that Draco might be planning to leave her, Harry came up to them and looked from Hermione to Ginny. "Hasn't she moved yet?"

"Nope. I'm getting slightly worried."

"Mione? Are you alright?"

"I'm good." Hermione managed to gasp out. Her mouth had been hanging open and was, by now, very dry indeed.

"Ginny! There's a problem!" Luna said coming down the stairs from the girls dorms to the common room. Her face was white and she looked terrified.

"Now what's happened?"

Luna didn't answer just beckoned Ginny into the shadow of the stairs. "I found this." She opened her hankie showing a magical pregnancy test. It was positive.

"Please don't tell me she's pregnant."

"I think she is."

"Let's not mention it. If she wants to talk to us about it then we help her."

They returned to the common room, only to find Hermione's seat empty. "Where'd she go?" Hermione wasn't in the common room.

"Harry! Get the map!" Ginny shouted.

"You lost Hermione didn't you?" Harry sighed and pulled the map out of his bag. "She's on her way to the hospital wing. Why's she going there at this time of night?"

"Are we going to find out what she's doing?" Ron asked.

"Yes. We most certainly are."

The four of them made their way to the hospital wing. Pausing outside the door they heard what sounded like Hermione crying.

"It's alright dear." They heard Madam Pomfrey say to her.

"I have to get rid of it!" came Hermione's wail.

"No you don't. You can keep it. I'll help you through everything. It'll be okay, I promise."

"You don't know that!"

"Yes I do. I went through the same thing when I barely older than you are now."

Hermione's sobs seemed to subside. "I didn't know that. What happened to it?"

"She's working at St Mungo's now. My mother helped raise her, and supported me all the way through it."

"I can't do this. I'm not even seventeen yet."

"My dear, there have been younger mothers."

"If Draco finds out, he'll leave me."

"I raised Daphne without her father. And I didn't regret it. Boys your age are…idiots. And I'm sorry to say they don't get better with age. I wish they did, but Dumbledore's living proof that they are still little boys."

Hermione chuckled. "So I guess I should stop trying to get Ron to mature, and let Harry do it in his own way."

Outside the door Ron's mouth dropped and he almost let out an offended "huh!"

Ginny silenced her brother as the nurse kept talking. "Exactly, dear. Boys are, quite frankly, useless. I mean, they're only good for one thing, and even that they're not much good at."

Hermione laughed. "Draco is."

"Then hang onto him."

"And we're back to square one. If I tell him then I won't be able to hang onto him. He'll get scared and run away."

"I don't think he will. If he's remained loyal to you for five years, then I think he'll stick by you. Now, you need some rest. Do you want to stay here for the night?"

"I don't think so. I don't want to arouse suspicion. They'll find out soon enough anyway."

"Here, I want you to read these pamphlets about it, and just come to me if you need anything. Whether it's four in the morning and you just want to chat and eat chocolate ice cream, I don't care, just trust me. I'm here for you. Oh, and here's a little something that you might be interested in."

"What is it?" Ron whispered.

"It's a book." Harry hissed back.

"What's in it?" Ron hissed.

"Shut up you fool." Ginny hissed.

"A spell book?" Hermione was saying.

"Yes. One that got me through school. Keep it. It'll come in handy. Now, off to bed with you. Oh, and one more thing. This should help with the sickness." They saw Madam Pomfrey hand Hermione a potion bottle. Then they had to scarper as Hermione came out of the wing.

When Hermione got back to the common room she found Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna all sitting calmly, apparently immersed in a conversation about quidditch but with quite flushed faces. She said hello and then settled in a nearby corner and read the book she had been given. Every so often she would chuckle and the others would look at her as though she was crazy.

"What's so funny, Mione?" Ginny asked.

"This book is brilliant. It's full of little spells to help with everyday life."

"Such as?" Harry asked.

"Well, for girls, there's a spell to relieve period pain, for starters. Oh! A new chapter; Hexes." Hermione grinned rather evilly.


	7. Weasleys

"Cancelled? How can they cancel it?!" Hermione, Ginny and Luna exclaimed together. It was the day before the Christmas holidays started and a sign had appeared on the board outside the great hall that shocked the girls.

"Oh boy." Draco, Ron and Harry said simultaneously in exactly the same tone of voice.

"How could they cancel the Yule Ball?" Hermione frowned at the parchment angrily.

"I guess not enough people are staying. I think it's just us and the teachers." Harry said.

"And the family." Ron put in.

"Oh yeah. Draco, honey, I've been meaning to ask you, why did you invite them?"

"You don't want them here?" Draco asked innocently.

"I do. I love that family. But I just don't understand why you invited them. It's so out of character."

"So's dating you."

Harry, Ron, Ginny and Luna cringed as Hermione looked hurt.

"I didn't mean that."

"You've been saying that an awful lot recently. And I'm getting tired of hearing it." Hermione turned away and stalked off towards the library.

Everyone else glared at Draco. "Do you know you're an idiot?" Ginny said pointedly.

"I am aware of it."

"You're pushing her too far. At the rate this is going, she won't say yes." Ron said.

"You think?" Draco's frown deepened.

"Yeah, she's going through enough at the moment. What with the-" Luna cut off the last of her girlfriends words by clamping a hand over her mouth. With a meaningful look Luna retracted her hand.

"What do you mean?" Ron asked looking puzzled.

"God you're dense." Ginny told her brother. "You were there!"

"He was where? You guys are keeping something from me, aren't you?" Draco asked.

"Give the boy a medal. Yes we are, but you're keeping something from us." Luna said.

"Yeah, you guys have been acting weird. Draco, I don't get it. Why are you pushing her away? You're not thinking of breaking up with her are you?" Ginny said quietly.

"Don't worry, I'm not going to. It's all part of the surprise."

"What surprise?" Ginny and Luna said together.

"Hermione's…Christmas present." Draco bit his lip. "Gotta go!" he sent Harry and Ron a look and then dashed off up the staircase.

"Do you guys honestly not know about Hermione?" Ginny asked hesitantly.

"Nope. It wasn't said what was wrong with her in that conversation. Anyway, we better go. No doubt the plans will have to change now that the ball's cancelled."

"What plans?" Ginny asked through gritted teeth.

"You'll see." Harry and Ron rushed after Draco.

"Merlin, boy's are annoying!" came Ginny's outburst.

"You should know. I guess that's why you switched to girls, huh?"

Ginny turned to Luna and smiled. "That's not the only reason." She said, snaking her arms around Luna's waist.

"So when's the family arriving?" Luna asked smirking.

"Tomorrow. We'll have quite a full common room."

"They're all staying in the tower then?"

The following morning they awoke to a very quiet school.

But all that changed at ten o'clock when the school was invaded by quite a lot of ginger haired people. **(a/n: you can tell it's three in the morning when I'm writing this can't you?)**

They seemed to have multiplied since the last time Hermione had seen them all together. Bill and Fleur had two children and although Victoire was a miniature Fleur, Eric was another ginger Weasley. Charlie had found himself a ginger girlfriend, as had Percy. George had wed Alicia Spinnet and Fred had married Katie Bell on the same day and now each had their own baby twins.

Hermione stared at them in the entrance hall. "That's a lot of Weasleys."

"No kidding." Harry said blankly next to her.

"Could there be a bigger family?" Draco asked.

They were then called down to say hello and as Mrs Weasley hugged Hermione she whispered. "Have you told him yet?"

"How do you know? If Ginny told you then she so dead." Hermione hissed back, very surprised.

"Darling, when you've had seven children, you recognise the signs. You're glowing. You must be getting on for two months."

"Not here. Can we go for a walk?"

"Of course. When it comes to babies I know a thing or two."

They excused themselves and wandered off to find an empty classroom.

"I'm almost three months gone. I'll be showing any day now. Then I'll have to tell him."

"Draco will be thrilled."

"He's been really weird lately. It's like he's trying to distance himself from me. Harry and Ron aren't helping, they're being stranger than usual."

"It's probably just a phase. Boys can be very strange."

"You're the expert."

"That I am. And I'll be there for you, even if Draco isn't."

Hermione hugged her. "Thank you. I need a support system. I'm too young for this."

"But you'll love it. Yes, they might annoy you at times, and cause you stress, but being a mother is a wonderful thing. I should know, right?"


	8. Christmas Day

They had a pleasant holiday together. The Weasley family was very entertaining, as they always were when they were all together. There was no end of larks in the snow as it swirled thickly around the grounds.

Everyone got a pleasant surprise when Sirius, Lupin, Tonks and Moody arrived for the holidays. Snape wasn't as thrilled to see Sirius. They had all showed up because Grimald Place was very dull without the Weasley family.

Christmas Eve showed up, and by now Hermione had a rather distinct bump, but thanks to bulky jumpers the boys didn't notice. All the girls knew, since more than half of them had already had children and the girls of Charlie and Percy were pregnant themselves, and realised what it was that was different about Hermione.

The boys meantime all knew Draco's secret and most of them thought it was very funny. To Draco's annoyance they kept offering ideas, none of which were appropriate.

On Christmas day they realised they were snowed into the school. Hagrid was seen in the early hours of the day trying to shovel a path out of the main doors through the torrential snow.

"Girls, I'm telling him today." Hermione told the others as they went down the stairs to the common room to meet the boys.

"Good luck." They chorused.

"Merry Christmas!" the boys and men shouted from the common room as they entered.

They returned the sentiments of the day and the children delivered the presents to where they sat around the fireplace. Those from other houses had been allowed to move to Gryffindor Tower for the season since most of the group came from that house.

Draco caught little Angus Weasley, one half of the Fred Weasley twin-set, as he rushed towards Hermione with a small gift that Draco recognised as his to her. "Not so fast. I want to deliver this one myself."

The guys heard him and exchanged grins. Draco took the gift and took a deep breath before approaching Hermione.

"Merry Christmas." He said simply handing it to her.

Giving him a slightly odd look Hermione took the wrapping off, revealing a green velvet ring box. With every pair of eyes in the room on her she opened it. Her eyes widened as she beheld the ruby and diamond ring set in silver. Looking up at Draco she realised that he had gone down on one knee. She gasped and covered her mouth with one hand.

Gently Draco took the ring out of the box and proffered it to her. "Do I even need to ask the question?" he said gently.

"It would help."

"Hermione Granger, you are my soulmate and my one true love. When I see my life, both now and in the future, all I see is you. Hermione, will you marry me?"

Hermione's eyes swam with joyful tears. She smiled and then laughed tearfully, but happily. Then she seemed to come to her senses. "Draco, my love, before I answer, there's something I need to tell you. Or rather, that you need to see." Hermione raised Draco to his feet as she stood. Then she took her bulky hoodie off. Her three month bump was very visible and Draco took a step back away from her. "I meant to tell you." she whispered.

Draco seemed to fight with himself for a moment. He looked around the room at the expectant Weasley brood. Then he looked at the ring in the palm of his hand. He seemed to come to a decision. He looked up at Hermione. "I still haven't had an answer." He smiled at her and extended the ring towards her.

She kept her face strait. She reached out and picked up the ring. "Red, for Gryffindor. Red for love. Silver, for Slytherin. Diamonds, for love everlasting." She examined the ring and then looked past it to Draco and smiled. With her eyes locked with Draco's she slipped the ring onto her engagement finger and the smile widened. "Does that answer your question?"

He beamed at her and nodded. She rushed to him and hugged him. Everyone else cheered.

"So that was the big surprise." Ginny said with her arm around Luna.

"And that was hers." Ron said, slipping his arm around Ginny's shoulders.


End file.
